Centrifugal force
Working with a ground-breaking company building centrifuges for bio-diesel separation
Overview
Glycerol is produced as a by-product during bio-diesel manufacture and, in a later stage, a water wash may be used to remove other impurities. Both the glycerol and water must be removed, and centrifugal separation technology is a cost effective solution.
Project Brief
The customer needed a cost-effective hazardous area solution for their existing centrifuge products, and purge and pressurization (Ex p) was the best candidate. To avoid significant redesign, space for any additional hardware was limited. The hazardous area was Class I Division 2.
Challenges
The controls for the centrifuge were spread across 2 separate enclosures, so a series purge approach was needed. Additionally, there was only one possible location for the purge system, which would, in effect, mean mounting it upside down, As a consequence, reading the certification labels would be difficult.
Outcome
After reviewing the design, Expo was able to provide a cost-effective, off-the-shelf Z-purge solution. As this was a series purge application, an additional relief valve was supplied for the first enclosure, and we advised on the design and routing for the interconnecting purge gas piping.
Expo Products and Services
- Size 1 Type Z Minipurge, modified for installation upside down
- Additional relief valve for first enclosure
- Consulting & design to optimise the series purge application - read more on Series purging of enclosures here